The downfall of an empire begins with internal strife. Dr. Lucio Tan’s empire is no different from the dynasties of Imperial China. Trusted advisers are axed by the emperor as advised by his greed mongering administrators. Lucio is no different from these Emperors. He who foments distrust will fall heavily under those who are after his wealth. Dr. Tan’s feud with brother Mariano Tanenglian has earned him the ire of most of the Filipino-Chinese community. Will he choose the path of righteousness?

In a press briefing, Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the government has not yet discussed the option of managing the largest airline in the country despite disagreement between PAL and its pilots that resulted in disruption of several local and international flights.

“It’s too early to tell. We’re still at a level where we are mediating dialogue of the two concerned parties. So hopefully we would be able to reach an amicable settlement here,” Lacierda said.

He noted it is still a positive sign that the two opposing camps are willing to sit down and settle issues with the government in between.

The Palace aide pointed out that PAL management is trying to win back their pilots without any punitive sanctions.

He also said the government is not preparing for a worst case scenario believing that PAL issues could still be resolved through dialogues.

“No worst case scenario for now,” he assured.

Meanwhile, the Palace spokesperson clarified that their mission is to iron out the problem of PAL and some of its 25 pilots but not to meddle when it comes to filing administrative suit.

In the process of resolving the issues of PAL, Lacierda said the airline’s owner - business mogul Lucio Tan, was on top of the situation.

He said Tan was present during the meeting mediated by the government Monday.

“Mr. Lucio Tan came in during, siguro, past two-thirds of the meeting. He was there just as an observer; he was not actively participating. It was Mr. (Jaime) Jimmy Bautista who was there. And it was a very friendly discussion,” he recounted.

Lacierda said Tan was also mum on the situation of his airline leaving all explanations to Bautista, who is the president of PAL. (Jill Beltran/Sunnex)